Symphony
by Ukdallasfan
Summary: Short story about JR and Sue Ellen when they were first dating. Hope it is okay


"A large parcel arrived for you whilst you were out at lectures today" Paula informed Sue Ellen as she walked through the door of their sorority house. Sue Ellen inspected the big rectangular package sitting on the hall table. It was carefully wrapped and neatly labelled with her name and address. She knew it could only be from one person.

She had been dating JR Ewing for the last six weeks having let Clint Ogden down as gently as she could. The latter had been hoping to propose to her once he had graduated, confident that his intelligence and excellent grades would lead to a decently paid job, only to have his hopes dashed by the interest of a man that he had no chance of competing with. With immense sadness Clint had felt compelled to admit defeat and walk away.

"Open it!" Paula shrieked. Her excitement led to the presence of some of the other girls. Huddling around her they waited expectantly as Sue Ellen peeled the Sellotape away from the edges of the parcel, removed the paper and revealed what was inside. The box bore the name Neiman Marcus, causing Sue Ellen's friends to gasp in delight. Never in their wildest dreams had they been able to envisage having the confidence, let alone the means, to shop there.

Sue Ellen opened the box gingerly and then carefully removed its content. First was a black evening gown which she held up for the others to inspect. The girls sighed as they touched the silky ebony- hued material, immediately recognising the brand from the high fashion magazines that they circulated amongst themselves. "Gosh, Sue Ellen, it's gorgeous" Paula remarked. Another girl inspected the label inside. "I knew it!" she squealed. "Halston!" Sue Ellen held the garment up to herself. It was cut on the bias, classic yet subtly sexy. It would almost certainly fit, she mused, before placing the gown carefully over the back of the sofa and turning to second part of the gift.

High-heeled evening shoes that went perfectly with the gown were taken from the box. "How does he know your size?" one of her friends asked, intrigued. Sue Ellen shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know" she responded. "JR just seems to know everything." She kicked her tennis shoe off and placed the other shoe on her foot. It was just beautiful and would complement the dress perfectly, she thought excitedly.

Finally, she retrieved a fine white envelope from the box. Inside was a gift receipt in case the items were wrong or didn't fit and she needed to exchange them together with a handwritten note. She unfolded the note and read aloud. " _For our date to the Dallas Symphony. I hope you like them. Love JR xx_ Well as if I hadn't guessed already" she joked.

Paula clasped her hands together, excited for her friend. "Do you think he chose them himself?" she asked. "I don't know. One of his secretaries might have assisted him" Sue Ellen lied, keen to downplay matters, although, deep down, she knew. Of course, he had chosen them. JR wasn't the type to leave something like this to somebody else. It had to be all his own work, just as everything else in his life had to be.

"Do I call him? To say thank you?" she asked. The girls debated whether it might be more romantic to say nothing, to surprise him on the night by wearing what he had bought for her, letting him see how apt his sense of style where she was concerned had been. On the other side of the coin might it look ill-mannered not to call him, Sue Ellen worried. The last thing she wanted to do was to offend him.

In the end, given that their date was still a few days away, it was agreed that she would send him a simple thank you note, leaving it until the night of the Symphony to let him know how amazed and pleased she had been with his gift.

Later that evening, sitting on her bed, a glass of iced tea in hand, Paula decided that it was time for some straight talking to her best friend. "He's becoming serious, you know" she began. "Sue Ellen, he is going to want to take things further. How do you feel about that?"

Sue Ellen nodded and gulped nervously before responding. "I know. I have been thinking about that. I mean, he is older than me and bound to be experienced. Everywhere he goes women throw themselves at him. They do it even when I am with him!" Paula nodded. "He isn't going to wait forever, you know. The question is, are you ready?"

Sue Ellen stared at her friend and then paused before answering. "The thing is with him, yes I am. I would be very scared but the fact is that I am deeply attracted to him. Paula, I'm falling in love with him! My worry is that he would become bored and move on if I give him what he wants, though. On balance, I think my mother's advice is correct. I should keep him waiting, at least for a little bit longer. It may compel him to propose. That's what I'm hoping for."

"It's a risk in my opinion" Paula replied eventually, collecting her thoughts, wanting to give Sue Ellen the best advice she could. "You know that Roger and I got to a point where I felt like he might walk away if we didn't take our relationship to that level. I mean, it's not like precautions can't be taken these days, because they can." Sue Ellen shook her head. "I don't think a man like JR would be interested in that" she told her. "And I can't risk a pregnancy, not without a proper commitment from him. Anyway, he may not feel the same way about me as I do about him. He may regard what we have as short term and casual." Paula shook her head vigorously. "No way! I've seen how he looks at you. He's falling for you just as much as you're falling for him."

Paula's words ringing in her head, Sue Ellen eventually snuggled down in bed. In three days' time, she would see him again. Real effort had to be made, she decided, to do justice to his expensive gifts. Plans of how to style her hair, what make-up she should apply and what diet she should adopt between now and then occupied her thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

By Saturday Sue Ellen had taken action. She had eaten sparingly since the gown had been delivered, determined that her silhouette in the close-fitting gown would be perfect. She and Paula had devised a home-made facial involving cucumber applied over the eyes and avocado mashed with olive oil to her skin. One of the other girls had painted Sue Ellen's nails for her, a striking red that would go well with her dress. Finally, on Friday, she had taken a very early night resolved to look as bright and relaxed as she could the following evening.

Her efforts had paid off when she descended the stairs at 6 o'clock prompt. She was positively glowing. Her friends gasped and clapped their hands excitedly as she emerged. "You look marvellous" one of them told her. "JR is going to be over the moon!" Paula commented as Sue Ellen performed a twirl for them. "I've got butterflies in my stomach" Sue Ellen confessed as she peered through the window to see the limousine pulling up outside. "You'll have a whale of a time" Paula reassured her. "Oh my! He's hired a limo!"

Sue Ellen waited. Several seconds later there came his usual, firm knock on the door. The girls stepped away, quickly sitting down, attempting to appear casual, stifling girlish giggles. Sue Ellen opened the door. "Hello, JR" she greeted him, noting how suave and handsome he looked in his tuxedo, a real man not one of the college boys she usually associated with.

JR smiled and then looked to the floor shyly. "You look stunning, Sue Ellen" he gulped, blown away by her appearance. "You had quite a lot to do with that" she replied, flashing him a wide, confident smile although inside she felt a little nervous. "Did you get my note?" JR nodded. "Yes, I did. However, seeing you right now is thanks enough for me."

The girls sighed enviously as he took her hand and led her down the steps to the waiting car. "I guess I'd better get my jacket. No Symphony for me this evening with Roger. Just the cinema!" Paula joked as they watched the limousine pull away.

The journey to the Opera House went quickly, JR and Sue Ellen eager to catch up with each other's week. Conversation flowed naturally between them, interspersed at times with a gentlemanly kiss to her hand or her cheek. He wanted more, much more, but his interest in Sue Ellen Shepard, so young and yet so ladylike, prevented him from pressing his suit further.

Arriving outside, JR held out his hand for her. Right at that moment he wished the whole world could see him with her, such was her elegance and beauty. As they made their way to the box that he had reserved he delighted in seeing so many people he knew, members of Dallas society, oil and cattle barons and their wives or dates, all of them stopping him to say hello and stare at the beauty on his arm, the reigning Miss Texas who only had eyes for him.

They took their seats. "Wow!" Sue Ellen remarked. "I have never sat in a private box before. It's always been the last minute discounted seats for me! Thank you, JR!" "Only the best for you, sugar" JR responded, handing her a flute of champagne as the lights went down and the music started.

He watched her, bright eyed with pleasure, as the music rose and fell, telling a story of star-crossed lovers, doomed to tragedy. The reality was that he had no interest in classical music. All he wanted was to please her, to spend time with her and to show her off to his rivals. Every now and again she would turn her head briefly to smile at him, to let him know that she was having a lovely time but also to bask in the keenness of his attention.

Just as it was finishing she leaned over, whispered "thank you" in his ear and kissed him tenderly but then more passionately. He responded, drawing her closer to him, his arm around her waist, strong yet gentle at the same time. They broke as the lights came up, Sue Ellen flushed with excitement, JR smiling, delighted that she had made the first move. "Hungry?" he asked. "Starving" she replied. "I haven't eaten all day. I was too excited." "I have a table booked" he informed her. "Let's find the limo."

Walking out into the night air, hand in hand, she knew. He wanted her but he was prepared to wait. As long as she gave him a little of what he wanted, signs of encouragement, she might just get to be Mrs JR Ewing one of these days.

THE END

 **I hope this is okay. I am having a bit of a block with my other stories at the moment and need to figure out where to go with them (I am sure I will). Thanks as ever for reading and reviewing my stories : )**


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